Apparatus for drying vegetables and the like



D. BRONS.

APPARATUS F OR DRYING VEGETABLES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 1919.

1 ,326,909, Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

i? l M- ZWMMM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DERK BRONS, 0F ZUIDBROEK, NETHERLANDS, ASSIGNOR TO N. V. IVIACI-IINEFABRIEK BRONS, OF ZUIDBROEK, GRONINGEN, NETHERLANDS, A LIMITED LIABILITY COM- PANY OF THE NETHERLANDS.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING VEGETABLES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed May 28, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DERK BRONS, a subject of the Queen of the Netherlands, residing at... Zuidbroek, Province of Groningen, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Vegetables and the like, of which the following is a specification,

The invention relates to an apparatus for drying vegetables and the like. It is known that vegetables, grains and such like are dried in drying chambers which are provided with several horizontal rows of perforated sheets on which the material to be dried drops and which sheets can be turned for the purpose of transposing the drying material or of dropping it on the next fol lowing sheet which is mounted underneath the first one and so on. In turning the perforated sheets or hurdles the material to be dried is transposed, stirred and rolled over and it drops finally on the next lower sheet. The existing methods and devices for drying vegetables and the like have proved not to be suitable for many kinds of vegetables and substances. The material under treatment is not dried uniformly enough. This disadvantage is avoided by the application of the device according to the invention.

This device consists, as all the known drying plants, of a drying chamber in which the material under treatment drops from floor to floor'on hurdles. Every hurdle in the special construction according to the invention consists of two hurdles, which are journaled on the same axle, while each hurdle can be moved independently of the other.

Both hurdles or parts are mounted in such a way that they inclose a free space when they extend in the same direction.

The advantage of the apparatus is, that it is possible to turn the material, which has to be dried, just as if it were one mass, whereupon the upper hurdle can be turned aside. The resistance of the drying air or of the drying gases remains the same as before the turning, as the air has now to pass only one hurdle and one layer of material just as It did before.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1. 1s a cross section of a part of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Serial No. 300,417.

axle, may assume for attaining the desired purpose.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the two fold hure Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.

The wall of the drying stove or chamber 'is in Fig. 1 indicated by 1. Each of both parts 2 and 3 of the hurdles rotates separately around the same axle 4:. Both parts of the hurdle are mounted in such a way that they, when turned in the' same direction, inclose a free space between them as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It is desirable to connect one of the hurdle parts such as the part 3 (Fig. 7 rigidly with the axle l and to connect the part 2 rigidly with sleeves 5 which are rotatably mounted on the axle 4. The axle 4 and one of the sleeves 5, both extending from the chamber may be provided with levers 6 and 7 by which the hurdles are moved into the desired position with respect to each other.

Figs. 2 to 6 show the successive positions of the hurdles in the operation or" the device. In Fig. 2 the two-part hurdle is opened out flat and material to be dried is placed on one part of the hurdle, say that designated 2. Assuming that the hurdle section 3 contains partly dried or completely dried material such section 3 is turned down at substantially right angles to the part 2 thereby discharging the contents of 3. Thereupon the part 3 is turned to extend parallel to sectron 2, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the material 1n the section 2 is partly inclosed between two plates or sections. Then both sections 2 and 3 are turned about the axle 4 as a center, whereby the material formerly resting on the section 2 now rests bottom up on the section 3 (Fig. l) and the section 2 may be turned back to its initial position, parallel to and in the same plane as section 3, ready to receive another charge of material (Fig. 5). When the material on section 3 has been sufliciently treated such section is turned down at right angles to section 2 (Fig. 6) and the material on the turned down section is discharged by gravity to a next lower section or out of the apparatus if the section on which the material rested was in the lowermost tier. By suitably manipulating the hurdles the air passing through the apparatus will always act on some of the material therein, so that there is no loss of efficiency. What I claim is:

In a device for drying material, the comtions, an axle upon which said hurdle sections are symmetrically mounted, means for moving said hurdle sections individually to extend in the same plane or in a plane at right angles to each other, and means for moving said sections jointly in spaced parallel relation.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

DERK BRONS. 

